Monday, July 18, 2016

Baton Rouge Police Shooting Suspect is Gavin Eugene Long, An ex-Marine Who 'Killed Three Cops on His 29th Birthday'

08:17, 18 JUL 2016
BY SAM WEBB , GEMMA MULLIN , SOPHIE EVANS

The three dead officers have also been named, one of the officers, Montrell Jackson, had recently celebrated the birth of a baby boy

The gunman suspected of killing three cops in Baton Rouge today is an ex-Marine who appears to have carried out the attacks on his 29th birthday.

Gavin Eugene Long left the Marines six years ago as a sergeant with an honourable discharge, CBS News reports.

The 29-year-old, of Kansas City, Missouri, was born on July 17, 1987. Kansas City is hundreds of miles away from Baton Rouge.

According to military sources in the US, Long left the Marines in 2010 with an honourable discharge.

His final rank was sergeant.

Police were investigating whether Long made the call to lure police to their deaths.

The suspected gunman was killed at the scene in Louisiana but not before three police officers were killed, all of whom have now been named and pictured.

One of the officers killed has been identified as Montrell Jackson, who recently celebrated the birth of a baby boy.

He became a police officer in August 2013, according to his Facebook page.

Days before his death officer Jackson posted a prophetic post on his Facebook page after Alton Sterling was killed by police officers in Baton Rouge two weeks ago.

He wrote: "I'm tired physically and emotionally", adding :"These are trying times. Please don't let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better. I'm working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer. I got you."

Another has been named as Matthew Gerald, 41, a former Marine who was reportedly married with two children.

The third has been named as Brad Garafola, a 45-year-old East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy.

A reporter from Kansas City says she was met by someone armed with an assault rifle when she went to the address where Long lived.

The gunman was killed and two men have been arrested and are being questioned by the FBI.

A source told Reuters that investigators also said there was reason to believe a 911 call may have been used to lure police to the shooting scene. The possibility it had been a conspiracy is being investigated.

The officers were responding to a call of shots fired when they were ambushed by at least one gunman, said Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden.

However, one witness said the shooting started before the police officers arrived at the scene.

NOLA reporter Kevin Litten tweeted a picture of a man being arrested and officers searching a car near the police station.

Officers reportedly found a ‘long rifle’ in what appears to be a 4x4.

Six officers were fired upon and three were injured says East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

Two of these were Baton Rouge police officers, according to the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, William Daniel.

One of them was a 41-year-old with less than a year of service, the other a 32-year-old with 10 years service.

The third was an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy, The Advocate reports.

Police received a call of “suspicious person walking down Airline Highway with an assault rifle,” a source told CNN.

When police arrived, the man reportedly opened fire.

A witness described hearing at least 25 to 30 gunshots.

They told WAFB: "I walked out into the street to see what was going on, there was a man lying in the street.

"I assume he was dead because he wasn’t moving."

The witness said the shooting started before police arrived.

Twitter user and Baton Rouge resident Latrell tweeted: "They in the woods looking for one suspect and there is also shooting happening by Cortana Mall."

They in the woods looking for one suspect and there is also shooting happening by cortana mall

“This was not a come at police shooting," the witness said. "There were men out here shooting at each other before police ever got here.”

A witness told WBRZ News 2 that a man dressed in black and with his face covered began shooting indiscriminately after walking out of a convenience store and car wash.

A flurry of gunshots was heard in live footage from WAFB. Police say the situation has been "contained" but further details have not been released.

Marquis Gibson was at the Hammond Aire Plaza mall when he heard shots and ran inside.

President Barack Obama condemned the "attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge" and vowed that justice would be done.

"We may not yet know the motives for this attack, but I want to be clear: There is no justification for violence against law enforcement. None.

"These attacks are the work of cowards who speak for no one," Obama said in a statement.

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